DIAGRAM OF THE STEPS OF TYING A FIGURE OF EIGHT

(1) We tie into the rope using a re-threaded figure of 8. Start by tying a figure of 8 just over a metre from the end of the rope.

    Tip: This equates to about the distance from one hand to the opposite shoulder depending on height.

(2) Feed the tail of the rope through the harnesses tie-in point(s).

    Tip: On harnesses with a belay loop it can be easy to miss the keeper loop at the leg loop tie-in point. Keep a close eye on this.

(3) Rethread the figure of eight, retracing the knot with the tail. Keeping the knot ‘neat’ makes inspection, tying and untying easier.

    Tip: Bringing the initial figure of eight closer to the tie-in points helps to keep the knot compact.

(4) Seat the knot by rolling the outer loops of a neatly rethreaded figure of 8 away from the two strands of rope leaving the knot.

DIAGRAM OF SEATING A FIGURE OF EIGHT TO CLARIFY

Complete seating the knot by pulling it tight, this will generally require pulling on both the knot as a whole and individual strands.

(5) Ensure there is a sufficiently long tail (~250mm minimum) and tie a two-loop stopper knot. If you’ve got insufficient tail to tie your stopper you’ll need to re-adjust your figure of 8 knot.

DIAGRAM OF STOPPER KNOT.

(6) Perform a final inspection of the knot and tie-in points on the harness. The four pairs of loops in the rethreaded figure of 8 total eight loops of rope and this can be a useful reminder.